Bringing you the science fiction and fantasy books that you want...one damned episode at a time!

The Once & Future Podcast is a weekly book-centric podcast for readers and writers alike that focuses on all things fantasy and science fiction, talking with today's hottest authors about their books, writing, and general geekery.

Matthew Orr has been a freelance writer since 2010 and co-founded Wet Ink Games, LLC in 2015. Recent role playing credits include Rifts World Book 36: Sovietski from Palladium Books and CAPERS from NerdBurger Games. In 2018 he served as a reader during the 200 Word RPG Challenge. He earned degrees in history, art and education from University of Louisville. Here he tells about one of the newest projects he’s working on, Never Going Home, an Eldritch-type horror game set in World War I.

Just in time to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War comes a new role playing offering from Wet Ink Games. Never Going Home: World War Occult Role Playing is set on battlefields twisted not only by the new weapons of the period, but by horrible whispers from beyond the veil of worlds. Expanding beyond their first game line into completely new territory, Wet Ink Games built the game on top of artist Charles Ferguson-Avery’s World War Occult project. Ferguson-Avery’s art depicts soldiers hunkered in trenches, preforming magic rituals, and facing off against inhuman threats. In every image the soldiers wear gas masks, obscuring their own humanity. Everything about the art serves as a meditation on the monstrousness of war. It is a setting ripe for creating stories of desperate survival.

One way to think about table top role playing games is as collaborate storytelling exercises with guidelines set by the rules. The rules for Never Going Home can be broken into two main parts. First, preforming typical RPG skills like “shooting” or “knowledge” as well as pulling off magic spells, called “whispers” in the game, requires rolling a few D6 equal to training in the skill. A five or six on a die is a success and the number of successes needed depends of the difficultly of whatever a character is attempting. Once the dice land, players manipulate them with the character’s attributes of Brawn, Smarts and Guts. Attributes can buy an additional dice for the roll, re-roll, or increase the pip count of a die result. Succeed of fail, something always happens, which players get to narrate. Weapons offer more options for dice manipulation after the roll, while magic is more powerful but is much more risky.

The other aspect of game play is the use of playing cards. Players have a hand of cards from the start of play and collect more during play. These cards represent their character’s memories, but there is constant pressure to give up cards to gain benefits. They can trade sets of these cards in to increase their skills, attributes and whispers or they can use them for healing. Player must also collectively discard at the start of each mission to meet the special conditions of the Journey. Each card given up represents the loss of little bit more of the character’s humanity. In addition to everything else, players have to balance the goals of character survival and group success. At some point characters will have gained enough power and given up enough of who they are, they will simply not come back from their mission. Characters disappear, possibly to become the horrible creatures which threaten the survivors in the next mission. The game is called Never Going Home for a reason.

The game is raising funds on Kickstarter now. In addition to the book itself, there are custom dice and playing cards designed by the game’s artist on offer so you can play Never Going Home with components designed to hit all the same horror notes. The original art book of World War Occult, which features both black and white and color images as well as poetic text fragments is also available through this campaign if you missed out on it earlier this year. Beyond the base game, once the campaign starts reaching those stretch goals, Wet Ink Games have lined of a squadron of indie roll playing game industry regulars to help them create a variety of missions to challenge play groups.

A couple years ago, I interviewed the talented and big-hearted Shanna Germain, from Monte Cook Games, about her new game, No Thank You Evil. Now, two years later, the game has sold out! So they are running a Kickstarter campaign to fund a second printing! Here is the interview I did, which originally ran on GeekMom.com.

Melanie R. Meadors: Welcome! Tell us a little about yourself.

Shanna Germain: Thanks so much! I’m a writer, editor, and game designer by both passion and trade. Right now, I’m the creative director and co-owner of Monte Cook Games, where I’m designing a storytelling game for families called No Thank You, Evil! I’m also a pretty big geek—I love books, games, TV shows and movies, and all things word-related. I even own a dog named Ampersand.

MRM: How did you get into gaming? Was it something you were interested in as a kid?

SG: My grandmother was a big gamer—she loved card and board games especially, so games have always been part of my life thanks to her. She taught me a lot about how to lose with dignity, win with grace, and play with style. I liked games when I was a kid because I was very shy and socially awkward, and having a way to interact with other people where I understood the rules really helped me overcome a lot of that.

MRM: What was the game that started it all for you, like your gateway drug into gaming?

SG: For storytelling games, it was definitely Bunnies & Burrows, which is a game based on the novel Watership Down. You could play a bunny in the game, which I thought was the most incredible thing ever, and you did martial arts moves called “bun fu.” My babysitter introduced me to it; I had no idea what a role-playing game was, but she told me I could pretend to be a bunny, and I was like, “Yes, please!”

MRM: What is your favorite game now?

SG: I don’t know that I could choose just one. I use different games for different needs. When I need a quick break, I’ll play an iPad game like Words with Friends. When I want to work out, I play a computer role-playing game like Elder Scrolls Online or Borderlands on my treadmill desk. When I want to immerse myself and spend time with friends, I play a role-playing game like OD&D and Numenera.

I tend to play a lot of games all the time, because they open my own way of thinking about games and game design.

Image: Monte Cook Games

MRM: I’d say it’s safe to say that the majority of our readers here have kids, and many of those kids have some geeky aspirations. If a kid came up to you and said they wanted to be a game designer when they grew up, what would you say to them?

SG: I would say that they should follow that dream by playing lots of games, thinking about games, and creating their own games. You’re never too young to start drawing maps, creating characters, and writing adventures. Get all of your friends to help you, and then play together.

MRM: Any other advice for young geeklings out there? How about for their parents?

SG: I think that it’s really easy for geeky kids to feel like their interests are weird or uncool. Thankfully, we live in a time where being a geek is cool. So to young geeklings, I’d say: Love what you love. You’ll be surprised how many other people love what you love too.

To parents, I’d say: If you’re already supporting your kids’ interests and want to find a way to do more, or if you’re unsure how to support the geeky things that your kids are into, consider looking into school programs and gaming clubs that support geeky interests, attending conventions that have a family focus, and finding geeky role models that your kids can look up to.

MRM: You are a writer, editor, gamer… how do you make time for all of your passions? Is there one role you identify with more than others?

SG: I feel like I could ask that same question about so many people I know, and I think we would all have a similar answer: I have no idea. It’s a tricky balance. If I don’t have enough going on, I lose that sense of pressure and am much less productive, but if I have too much going on, I get stressed about all I have to do and can’t seem to accomplish anything. Sometimes I think that there’s a perfect point of busyness—just busy enough to keep the pressure on, not so busy that you start to fall apart—and if you can walk that tightrope, you can accomplish everything. I have a hard time asking for help, and that is something I have to keep learning, because sometimes having someone else just take one thing off your plate can save you from falling off that tightrope.

Writing is my first passion, and has been since I was old enough to smash letters and words together. I’ve always wanted to tell stories. The medium doesn’t matter. I love writing fiction as much as I love writing games. It’s all about stringing words one after the other to tell a story that moves someone else in some way.

GMM: Tell us a little about your involvement with the new game on Kickstarter, No Thank You, Evil!.

SG:No Thank You, Evil! is a game of creative storytelling for families. I’m designing it, along with Monte Cook. Designing a game for families is really different than designing a game for adults, and it’s wonderfully challenging. Kids are so creative and so smart, and they intuitively understand how to pretend to be someone else. So the game doesn’t need to teach them how to role-play—it needs to give them the space to let their creativity shine, while also providing them with solid boundaries and guidance.

It’s also really important to me that all kids and families can play games, so one of the things that we’ve been working hard on is making sure that No Thank You, Evil! is accessible to and inclusive of children with cognitive and physical concerns like autism, dyslexia, and color blindness. We’re using fonts and colors that are easy to read and discern, creating art that depicts a wide variety of characters, and making sure there is no one right way to “succeed” in the game. Creative solutions are encouraged, so a player who’s nonverbal can draw or act out their character’s actions, while a more verbal player can do a robot voice, repeat a favorite phrase, or sing a song instead.

Image: Monte Cook Games

MRM: What project are you most proud of? What do you hope to be remembered for, and what is your dream project?

SG: Right now, I have to say that No Thank You, Evil! is my dream project. We’re right in the middle of play-testing, so I get to watch all of these amazing kids interact with something that I’m creating, and they just keep blowing me away with their creativity. When you write a book, the reader goes away to read it and you may never know what they thought of it. When you write a game for adults, you might hear afterward how much they liked it. But watching these kids at the table, when they get excited about their character or they get a really good dice roll or do something that saves the day—there’s something incredibly special about that energy and enthusiasm. It’s like you’re getting to watch their minds expanding right in front of you.

MRM: Anything exciting coming up for you?

SG: I’m still working on No Thank You, Evil! for a little while longer, and then I’ll start working on two new books for Numenera, which is the first game that we created at Monte Cook Games. One is a sourcebook and the other is a novel, so I get to do a little of each of the things that I love at the same time.

MRM: Thanks again for taking the time to chat! Best of luck to you with your Kickstarter and all your future projects.

SG: Thank you so much!

Shanna Germain is also an author in my newest anthologyKNAVES! Currently on Kickstarter, Knaves includes authors like Anna Smith Spark, Mercedes Lackey, Lian Hearn, Anton Strout, Maurice Broaddus, and many more! Be sure to check it out!

Shanna has worked as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years, and has six books, hundreds of short stories, and a myriad other works to her name. Over the years, she’s won numerous awards for her work, including a Pushcart nomination, the C. Hamilton Bailey Poetry Fellowship, th Utne Reader award for Best New Publicatio, and 7 ENnie Awards.

The creative director and co-owner of Monte Cook Games, LLC, she is currently designing a creative storytelling game for families called No Thank You, Evil!

Melanie R. Meadors is the author of fantasy stories where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. Her fiction has most recently appeared in the anthologiesChampions of Aetaltisand Kaiju Rising II: Reign of Monsters. Melanie is the co-director of the Gen Con Writer's Symposium and the publisher at Outland Entertainment. She's the co-editor of the anthology MECH: Age of Steel and editor of Hath No Fury, and she is a blogger and general b*tch monkey at The Once and Future Podcast.

Gaming opens doors. I've often said this. I know situations where gaming has helped people overcome depression, substance abuse, and more. Gaming can be a great help to teach autistic people about social skills. Counselors use it to build trust in their clients. It's a great way to unwind after a hard week of work, and it's fun to get together with friends. It allows you to meet new people, to have adventures you wouldn't in real life, and more.

USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Vaughan is not just a writer and lawyer, but also an avid gamer as well. She wrote an essay about what doors gaming helped open in her life. Please welcome her as our guest today! --Melanie R. Meadors

Without gaming, I would not be an attorney.

Law school is the mind-numbing, soul-devouring, energy-sucking marathon that everyone says it is. It’s designed to train your brain to think in certain patterns by over-whelming you with reading, writing and research. The Socratic method of questions and answers teaches, yes, but it teaches through a combination of intimidation, embarrassment, and brutality. By Friday afternoon, all the average law student wants is a drink in their hands.

All I wanted was a sword in mine.

Well, if not a sword then a d8 at least, once the gamers at the University of Toledo showed me which piece of colored plastic that was. They welcomed me, sat me down and pulled out a character sheet. "Give her a fighter," my first Gamemaster said. "Best way to learn."

And so they did. They shared their dice, explained what "stats" were and under their expert tutelage I rolled up Demetria, a kick-ass human warrior with a bad attitude and a thirst for treasure. They told me to give her high strength and con, and not worry too about my intelligence and wisdom. "You’re job is to hit things," they said.

I could do that.

From that day on, from my first class Monday morning at eight am until Friday at five pm, I would work and read and study to learn the structure of the legal system, the codes and rules that a civilized, democratic people use to resolve disputes in a rational, organized, fair manner that allows society to function smoothly.

But on the weekends, I reveled in the brutal destruction of my enemies beneath the strength of my blade. Laughed as they cowered in fear from my blood-soaked weapon. Gloated as I looted their still cooling corpses and their treasure vaults. Cheerfully trudged through the depths of the mires, and the heights of the mountains, questing for gold, magic and enough "experience points" to level up in the never-ending quest for more power. I was an adventurer, born with wanderlust in my heart and a sword in my hand.

At least until dawn broke on Monday morning, and I dragged my sorry tuckus back to the law school for class.

Without gaming, I would not have found my people.

Oh, I’d probably have friends. But what gaming gave me was a community, a family that thought the same way I did, read the same books, watched the same movies, laughed at the same obscure jokes. Friends who read historical books to improve their gaming experiences and poured over books of ancient weapons and their uses. Friends who thought in terms of military strategy when navigating a crowd at a concert and spent hours discussing the arcane intricacies of gaming systems and rules.

Friends, either seated at the table or logged on to the same server, who always had my back.

Friends who’d think nothing of gaming until the wee hours of the morning, and then go out for food, to continue the heated debate on the best strategy to defeat a red dragon - leaving the waitress shaking her head in confusion.

Friends who’s voices provide companionship through my headset as we wander the digital wilderness of my MMO, and cheer when we finally defeat Lolth and her evil schemes.

Friends who struggled to teach me to place my fireballs for optimum damage against the enemy, and who died in those same fireballs when I didn’t get it right.

Friends who rued the day they let me play a rogue, because I never met a trap I didn’t like. I had to know what it would do, ya know? Someone put it there for a reason, and I had to find out the whys and wherefores. Which usually meant blowing the disarm role and killing half the party.

Friends, that even after twenty-some odd years, who are still at the gaming table with me along with their children. And while the Doritos and Coke bottles have been replaced by bottled water and carrot sticks, we still play on.

And after all the adventuring I have done over the years, the greatest treasure I gained are the friends by my side.

But don’t tell that to Demeteria. She’s in it for the gold.

Without gaming, I would not have developed into a good attorney.

Listen, law school might teach you how to think, but it sure as The Lower Planes of the Abyss does not teach you to deal with people.

Gaming, on the other hand, is all about the people at the table. Their quirks, their desires, their personalities. Gaming is also about solving problems, yes, sometimes with a sword, but more often through role-playing, negotiation, and arguments. Which path will we take through the mountains, how are we going to meet the requirements of our quest, how can I bluff, deceive, or use my diplomacy skills to get us out of this situation?

How do we resolve a dispute about the rules? Who gets which part of the treasure? What will my paladin do when the rogue in the party is caught thieving . . . from a blind, elderly widow and her four orphans? [No names - but you know who you are.]

After arguing with my fellow players and GMs about rules, resolving legal disputes seems relatively easy. After worrying about the wording of a wish for hours, the worst contract boiler plate seems like child’s play. After listening to the evil villain’s monologue rationalizing his baleful activities in a perfectly logical manner . . . .

Well, okay, that still makes me want to pull out a sword.

Without gaming, I would not have started writing.

I am a terrible gamemaster. I’ve tried a number of times, and I just don’t have the necessary skills, or patience or flexibility. The players are all ‘lets go this way’, and I’m saying ‘but the adventure is over here’ and well, it all ends in misery.

I did learn not to send dire wolves after first level characters in their very first adventure, and the very first encounter, when they were naked and fleeing from slavers.

I still feel bad about that one. Tore through them like tissue paper.

*sigh*

So I started writing things down, putting my own characters through adventures, making things go the way I thought they should go, controlling the story instead of trying to control the players.

But it wasn’t until a friend I met through gaming challenged me to ‘put up, or shut up’ about my writing that I got serious about putting words down on paper. Oh, I’d talked about being a writer since high school, but I didn’t ever really believe, even after I was challenged, that I’d get published.

I mean, that kind of thing doesn’t really happen to ordinary people.

Without gaming, I would not have tried to get published.

It was the aforementioned gamer friends that said "let’s go to GenCon."

"What’s Gen Con?" I asked, and was promptly stuffed into a van with more people then sense--or money--and it was off to Milwaukee.

It was overwhelming. All those people, all those games, all those dice. Twenty-four hour anime, movies, costumes, I’d died and gone to paradise.

Then I stumbled on the writing workshops.

I found a new community of friends, who shared my passion for telling stories, putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard to try to get the words down on paper and share them with the world.

Here were people, who were published, mind you, willing to talk, willing to share, to tell me what not to do, what mistakes not to make, how the industry worked. In the early years, those workshops were geared more for the role-player, for writing dungeons and gaming materials. But there were kernels of information for tie-in books and short stories. Once I found the workshops, you couldn’t pry me away. I was glued to those rooms for the entire four days, and came home energized and ready to write.

The workshops taught me about the actual business behind writing, the process of querying, the existence of the slush pile. Who the publishers were, the mysteries of agents, the professionalism of the profession. From actual, normal, living, breathing human beings who seemed to think it could happen. Even to me.

Without gaming, I would not be published.

When I attended GenCon in 2001, I worked up the courage to approach two of the writers that were giving seminars on writing and getting published. One was Jean Rabe and the other was Janet Deaver Pack. I waited until everyone else had cleared out, and then walked up to the table and asked if I could buy them lunch.

They both said "no." [A fact that I remind them both of on a regular basis.]

The negative response was because they both had prior commitments. But Jean asked me to walk with her to her book signing in the dealer’s room, and Janet offered to meet me about an hour later for lunch. Since then, they have both become dear friends and wonderful mentors.

Jean suggested, pushed, then demanded that I go to World Fantasy Convention. She told me that I had to get more exposure to the writing world, and World Fantasy was a great place to network. So, with a bit of hesitation, I decided to go.

Now, I am a morning person, and I exercise in the mornings to try to keep my blood pressure down. So I am usually awake at 5:00 am. With the time change, I was awake at 4:00 am.

Since there was no getting back to sleep, I threw on my exercise clothing and grabbed my swim suit and went to the hotel’s exercise room. I did my treadmill and weights routine and then changed and paddled around the pool until I was tired. I floated, letting the pool get really still, looking at my toes, because I don’t get to see my toes that often. . .

Then a woman came into the pool area, took off her robe and stepped into the water. I was fairly sure she hadn’t seen me, and since I didn’t want to startle her, I said "Good morning”.

I startled her.

But she laughed, and got in the water and paddled over near me. “Good morning!” She said, in a lovely British accent. “Are you here for the convention?”

“So, you’re here for the convention too? In what capacity?” I asked innocently, treading water.

“Oh, I’m an agent.”

I splashed around for a minute, trying not to drown. “An agent? Do you know how dangerous it is to tell a wanna-be writer that you are an agent? In a pool?”

She laughed.

We talked a bit longer, exchanging names, and then I had to get out of the water, since I was turning into a prune and meeting Jean for breakfast.

The convention was great. I enjoyed the panels and meeting lots of people whose names I knew. Everyone that I talked to was warm, friendly and encouraging.

And I kept running into the agent. She’d be in the same panels, or eating at the table next to me. So much so, that we ended up sharing a cab to the airport, and after we got through security, sitting and talking for about an hour.

As we got up to go to our gates, she handed me her card, and offered to read my book, IF I wanted an honest opinion. I was flabbergasted and asked if she was sure? She laughed, and said yes, but cautioned me that she was going to give me an honest opinion. I told her that more than anything, I wanted to know if I was wasting my time.

So, I over-nighted the manuscript to London. [Do NOT ask me how much that cost!] I kept checking the tracking number to make sure it got there. The darn thing went to TENNESSEE? What was doing in TENNESSEE? [It’s our hub, ma’am. Please calm down.]

When it arrived in London, I got an email from the agent, saying that she had it and would get back to me in ninety days. So I only checked my email every half hour.

Thirty days later, I got an email. She said it was a wonderful book. . .

. . .I just about died . . .

and IF I was willing to rewrite it to fix some major problems, she’d be willing to represent me.

. . .I was crying and dancing around the house and scared the cats half to death. . .

So I spent four months rewriting the entire manuscript from a thirty page revision outline. And three months later I had a three book contract with Tor.

I still tear up when I think of it.

Without gaming, I would not be an adventurer.

You should always roll the dice. Take a chance.

When your back’s against the wall, and your party is laying at your feet, and the orcs have flanked you, you can still roll a critical, still win the day. Never, never give up, until the last die is thrown, the last bit of magic cast from your fingers, the last hit point bled out onto the cold stone floor of the dungeon.

But having said that, I must also say this: You always fail on a one.

For gaming has also taught me that sometimes the dice are against you. Magic sword, magic shield, magic plate and all the protective spells in the universe can’t save you from a bad roll, at a bad time, for a bad result.

Sometimes you fail. And there are consequences to that failure. Sometimes you lose items, stats, gold.

Friends.

When it happens, (not ‘if’, mind, but ‘when’) you don’t crumple the character sheet, or throw the dice against the wall, shouting obscenities. (Well, maybe that one time - but it was completely justified. Honestly, it was.)

No. You roar against the inherent unfairness of the universe. You mourn, you grieve, then you move on, hard as that might be. You deal with it.

Gaming has taught me to take chances, my eyes wide open to the perils and rewards.

There’s a theory that life is really a game. We are spiritual beings that choose to play in mortal shells, picking our attributes and stats, our advantages and disadvantages. A swift throw of the die and it begins, as we learn and grow in the game we call life. Until the Ultimate Gamemaster calls for the final saving throw, if you will. When we sit back and contemplate the lessons we have learned, the dice rolls we’ve made, and all of our choices.

Until such time as we pull out a new character sheet, get the dice out, and start the next game, the next quest.

So, you’ll pardon me if I bring this essay to an end. I have a gaming session tonight. I need to make sure that my character is ready, and that my dice are in my bag. Sure, it takes time and effort to maintain a gaming group these day, both table-top and online. But I make the effort.

Because without gaming . . . . well, where would I be?

Elizabeth Vaughan is the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Warprize, the first volume of The Chronicles of the Warlands. Her father introduced her to sci/fi and fantasy, and she’s never looked back. She loves fantasy and romance novels, and has played Dungeons and Dragons since 1981, both table-top and the online game. The Chronicles of the Warlands stretches over eight books, with more to come. The latest in the series was Wardance, 2017. Beth also has a number of short stories published in various anthologies.

Beth is owned by incredibly spoiled cats and lives in the Northwest Territory, on the outskirts of the Black Swamp, along Mad Anthony's Trail, on the banks of the Maumee River.

I hear it all the time. "I'd love to play Dungeons and Dragons, if I could find a group." "I want to play in an RPG (role playing game), but I don't know anyone who can be the DM." I used to say it all the time as well. I used to game in high school and a little bit in college, but it was always a struggle to find a game master. And finding a GOOD game master? That was even harder!

Eventually, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I was a storyteller, after all. That was half the job right there! I wasn't a big one for memorization, however, so that aspect got me nervous. There were so many rules! What if I screwed up? Another thing that gave me some anxiety was being the only girl in the room, which I knew was something there was a big chance of. One reason I'd stopped gaming when I was younger was because of some uncomfortable situations that arose, where some male players weren't able to separate their characters from themselves--OR they used their characters in a way that allowed them to get some of their baser instincts out. As I got older, however, I realized that if there was a good DM in that situation, it wouldn't have happened. When I DM a table now, whether it's for kids or adults, I don't let situations fly that make people are uncomfortable like that. It's also a bit different, I've found, than it was when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. I think a lot of foul beasts have moved on to video games, leaving more room for less toxic people at the RPG table (not in all cases, of course, and I'm probably going to address harassment at the game table in a future article).

Even so, I was really nervous about starting to DM, so convinced it would be a disaster and everyone would hate me. But I decided to bite the bullet and get started. I mean, really, that's what all other DMs in the world had to do, right? No dungeon master ever sprang from the womb with full knowledge of RPG rules and etiquette. I started running games for friends and family, and then for game shops and programs, and guess what? It turns out I have a ton of fun, and most importantly, my players have fun, too.

So if you want to be a DM, what are some things you should remember? Well, here are a few things I always try to keep in mind:

Your players need you. You are the most valuable person there. Without you, the game wouldn't be happening. It's hard sometimes to get people to agree to be the DM, and your players recognize this. Yes, that feels like a lot of responsibility, but also, your players will cut you some slack if you don't instantly recall some obscure rule. And if they don't and you have a complete jerk there? Remember, if you leave because they are making you miserable, they don't have a DM. Chances are, your players know this and if they notice another player being a dick, often times they will call him/her on it and you won't have to say a word. If they don't, just tell the person you're doing your best, to give you a break. If that doesn't work, you DO have the right to boot him from the game or penalize him in another way so he'll get the message. You're DM. Who's to say a dragon can't come out of the woodwork suddenly and breathe some horrid acrid breath on him? Or maybe players run across an old wizened adventurer who didn't listen to his group leader, and has some advice. There are a ton of ways to handle adversity at the table if you are anxious about that. But chances you, YOU WON'T HAVE TO. Players want to play. They will be grateful you are giving them that chance. Over the years, I've found that players are helpful and willing to wait if I get stuck with something, especially if I make it funny. THEY didn't want to be DM. They know it can be a tough job. They WILL understand if you have an off day, or if you didn't quite prepare for something, or even if you need help deciphering a rule.

There is a different between being a rule master and being a game master. Yes, there are rules to role playing games. There are books full of rules. How can someone expect to memorize all of them? Well, believe it or not, there ARE some people who do. But there is a huge difference between someone who can simply know fact and spew trivia and someone who can guide characters on the adventure of a lifetime. Believe me, players would MUCH rather have someone who had great ideas and a strong story than someone who knew every exact detail of every rule in the book. The books exist for a REASON. Have the core rule book and the dungeon master's guide for whatever game you are playing handy, and you'll be all set. They have indexes so you can find things quickly. And if you are really stuck, make it a joke. I've had NPCs say, "Oh, wait, hang on, I seem to be remembering something..." and examine the strings tied around their fingers as I riffle through the rule book. And if there is a player more experienced than you playing? Don't feel badly about taking them aside for a side-bar and asking them a question. Not only do they not mind sharing info (after all, if they really wanted to be DM, they would be leading their own group!), but it helps keep them involved and engaged as a valuable part of the game.

Let your players be responsible for their own characters. A fear of mine when I started DMing was that there would be a ton of people with wizards and druids and bards, and I wouldn't be able to know all the spells, so how could I know if there was an issue, and...well, yeah. Guess what? It's not a big deal. If you have a player who has a character with a ton of spells, and you can't keep track of them all, just tell them that they are responsible for knowing what those spells do, etc. If something seems off, or another player says, "I don't think that works like that," you can look into it in the player's manual. My players and I have developed a fairly easy routine where when one of them casts a spell on an NPC, I just say, "OK, what's the saving throw for that?" or "What are the effects of that?" and I write it on my pad. It happens naturally, there aren't big time delays, and no one seems to mind (not even when I have to have them repeat things because the poor dragon has like five spells on him at once!).

There's preparing, and then there's over-preparing. All DMs have done it. We've created this AMAZING adventure, where the characters go here and there, and adventure is around every corner, and fierce monsters, and....then some dumbass bard who shall remain nameless decides they want to put on a concert in this town where they are SUPPOSED to be fighting ruffians, and....you get the idea. Players and characters WILL derail even the most thought out campaigns, and you know what? That's part of the FUN. Yes, that is fun. Because in the end, it doesn't matter if everyone follows everything to the T. What matters is that everyone has fun. If you want characters to behave a certain way, walk a certain path, then write a novel. If you want to interact with folks and have unexpected things happen, then play a game. As DM, it's not your job to be a gatekeeper or force people to do things a certain way. It's your job to let the players go on an adventure and supply them with the danger and rewards of doing so. Add twists and turns, add unexpected surprises both good and bad, and allow your own adventure to surprise you. That's how gaming can be fun for everyone. If you over-prepare and go into the game with tons of expectations, you WILL be disappointed. It's just the nature of things. But prepare something, and then be open to surprise, and you'll have doors opened and creative opportunities you never even dreamed of--that's the fun of playing with real people.

Things get more fun when you understand your players. My DMing style changes with every different table of players I have. No two tables has the same dynamic, which is also part of the fun. Some groups are cautious, take their time, question captives, etc. Others just charge ahead and kill everything in sight. Neither is more right than the other, and both provide opportunities for the DM to expand their storytelling and adventure. Sure, if you planned for this bandit to reveal some info to a player, and the player kills him, it might frustrate your original plan, but just come up with something else (A mysterious note. A bit of rubbish that doesn't quite belong...a chatty spider? The possibilities are endless). And among your players, there will be one who is more easy-going, one who is more assertive, one who is a little flaky. Use all these things to your advantage. At the same time, however, you can maneuver things to be sure no one is taking advantage of the easy going person, or that the assertive person isn't calling all the shots to the detriment of others, etc. And once you become more comfortable with your DMing, your players will probably not even notice what you're doing, because it's all part of the story!

Monsters can break up arguments. Fast. If an argument breaks out at your table, and you aren't the assertive type and don't feel comfortable breaking it up, well. That's what giant spiders are for.

There are many, many other things that I could list here for new DMs. But the most important thing of all is to HAVE FUN. That's why you are all there, after all, and if you aren't having fun, what's the point?

There are a ton of resources out there to help new DMs. One of the biggest helpers to me has been YouTube. If you just search for "Dungeons and Dragons campaign" (or whatever RPG you're playing), a ton of videos will come up. Watch several of them so you can see how different DM styles can be, and how different even the same campaign can be with different players.

Another great reference is the Kobold Guide to Gamemastering. There are essays in there from some of the best in the business, about everything from how to handle groups of any size, to how to wing a campaign, to how to handle romance between characters.

And always look for resources pertaining to your particular game. There are things from the core rulebooks to Facebook groups and web forums for many of the popular games out there.

Again--HAVE FUN!! Life is too short not to!

Melanie R. Meadors is the author of fantasy stories where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She’s been known to befriend wandering garden gnomes, do battle with metal-eating squirrels, and has been called a superhero on more than one occasion. Her fiction has appeared in Circle Magazine, Prick of the Spindle, and in the anthologyChampions of Aetaltis. She studied astronomy and physics at Northern Arizona University and has published some non-fiction in the field of astronomy and library sciences. She's the co-editor of the anthology MECH: Age of Steel and editor of Hath No Fury, and she is a blogger and general b*tch monkey at The Once and Future Podcast.

I can't remember where I first met game designer and author Shanna Germain in person. It was probably at Gen Con, where we mostly get to share fleeting hugs and hellos as we rush off to our insane amounts of scheduled events and meetings. I've admired Shanna for a long time now, for her creativity, her work ethic, and I feel blessed to be able to call her a friend.

Monte Cook Games, of which Shanna is a senior designer and co-owner, has a new Kickstarter out for their acclaimed role playing game, Numenera, and I highly encourage you to check it out. Numenera has really accomplished a great balance of giving players something they are kind of familiar with but that's something really different, as well. Numenera 2 is on Kickstarter for a couple more weeks, so please check it out.

Shanna was kind enough to take some time from her crazy schedule to answer some questions for us here at the Once and Future Podcast blog!

Melanie R. Meadors: Can you tell us a bit about the world of Numenera? What do you think sets it apart from other RPGs?

Shanna Germain: Numenera is a science-fantasy setting a billion years in the future. Between our world and that world, at least eight amazing civilizations, many with technologies that we couldn’t even begin to comprehend, have risen and fallen. The Ninth World is filled with crazy devices, creatures, and structures left from those prior worlds—teleportation devices to other planets, octopus civilizations, gravity- and reality-bending machines—all called the numenera.

It’s highly narrative, the players do all of the dice rolling, and it’s a system that gives a lot of autonomy to the players. You can build your character quickly with the sentence: I’m a blank blank who blanks. I also love GM intrusions—little moments where you can say, “And this crazy thing happens! Now what do you do?” They give the players a chance to really get creative and use their skills and abilities in a new and unexpected way.

MRM: If someone has the core rule book for Numenera, what do the new corebooks offer? Why should someone definitely back the Kickstarter and not wait for retail?

SG: The new corebooks take the five years of feedback that we’ve had from players (and, of course, our own play and future products) and work to make the original better. Cleaner, clearer, even easier and more fun to play. It’s not a new edition—the core rules are essentially the same so you can play with an old corebook and a new corebook at the table and it’s no problem.

There’s also a whole new corebook—Numenera Destiny—which offers a brand new way to run a campaign, based on building a new future. We’re increasing the character options for some of the originals (Jacks and Glaives are getting a nice overhaul), adding additional types, foci, and descriptors, and providing all kinds of great new rules for designing, repairing, and building everything from weapons to vehicles to cities. Overall, the goal is more fun and more options at the table.

There are some pretty cool exclusives with this Kickstarter that you won’t be able to get elsewhere, including a book called The Trilling Shard, which is a sourcebook for one of the amazing new cities that we’re putting on the Numenera map. Additionally, a lot of the print levels offer the PDFs for free, which is something that we almost never do (except in Kickstarters), so if you like to have both the print book and the PDF, this is a great way to get those. And, of course, backing the Kickstarter means that we hit more stretch goals, so we get to produce more and better books that we wouldn’t have been able to make otherwise.

Of course, we love our retailers, so if you’ve got a friendly local game store near you, that’s a great place to pick up stuff in the future.

MRM: What is your personal favorite part of Numenera?

SG: The wonder and mystery of the setting. I feel like the real world seems really dark right now, and being able to escape into a place where everything—and everyone—has the potential to take the past and use it to make a better future is something that I really love and need.

MRM: Can you tell us a bit about gender and race etc. inclusiveness in the Numenera game?

SG: We work hard on representation and inclusion in all of our games, including Numenera. This often starts with the art—in our art, you’ll see people of all genders, sizes, body styles, races, sexual orientations, and more. This is equally true in the text. Because we’re creators who care about diversity and inclusion, the worlds that come out of our brains are worlds where it fits for all types of people to be represented and celebrated. Thanks to the technologies in Numenera, for example, it’s as easy to change your gender as it is to change your haircolor, so characters can be anyone they want to be.

The ability to see yourself in a game or a story is so vital and empowering. And so is the ability to see people who aren’t like you, because it helps you develop greater empathy and compassion. We believe gaming can make a better world, and one of the ways that we can do that is by making games that are welcoming for everyone.

MRM: You’ve written a novel based in the Numenera world called The Poison Eater (review forthcoming!). Can you tell us a little about it, and what was it like to write a novel based in an RPG world? Do you find the process of writing in an established world freeing or limiting?

SG: I’ve written a lot of short fiction set in other worlds, but this was the first time I’ve done a novel, so it felt really different. But also awesome, partly because I know the setting well enough that I felt like I could really jump off into weird and cool details and focus on my character’s growth and change in a new way.

Because Numenera is so narrative as a game, it translates easily into actual stories. You don’t have to worry about levels or dice rolls or whether a character could do something or not; if they have the tools or the abilities, they can try to do the thing. They might fail at it, of course, but what’s a story if the character isn’t failing along the way?

MRM: What’s it like to work at Monte Cook Games? Is it as amazing as it seems on the surface? OR DOES MONTE HAVE DARK SECRETS? ;)

SG: It’s as amazing as it seems—and then some. I mean, we work really, really hard, don’t get me wrong! But everyone is so passionate and creative and talented—and we laugh a lot.

It is hard having a distributed company—everyone is all over the country—but we make up for it by having really good meetings, talking on Slack, and spending lots of time together when we do get to be in the same place. Of course, every time we get together, we come up with more ideas for stuff we want to make, so maybe it’s a good idea we’re not in the place that often!

MRM: I’ve reviewed No Thank You Evil! and its expansions here. What inspired you to write this game? Has its reception surprised you at all?

SG: We were inspired by some of our fans, who were tweaking Numenera to play with their families. It made us realize that there was a whole generation of gamers who were playing RPGs with their kids. We really wanted to facilitate that. And as we started doing research into child psychology and kids’ games, we realized that we could try to do even more to help all kinds of families play—we used fonts and text styles that are suitable for children with dyslexia or other reading difficulties, used colors and symbols that support people with color-blindness, and created a system so that children who are non-verbal or who are on the autism spectrum can participate in ways that are comfortable and rewarding for them. We made sure that the art was inclusive all well—we have heroes in wheelchairs and with prosthetics, as well as characters of all genders, body types, and races.

Plus, it’s really fun to work on! I feel like I get to be my seven-year-old self for a little while every time I work on the game.

We’ve been really delighted by the reception. It’s so rewarding to see families playing together, and a number of organizations and schools are using No Thank You, Evil! to teach social skills, provide group therapy sessions, and more. That’s just been incredible.

MRM: As a fellow geek girl, I know first hand some of the challenges present to people of the feminine persuasion. I’ve gone through some phases, such as trying to suppress my feminine side at times, even to the point of scoffing at girlish things, or being all so much about fighting trolls that I didn’t get my creative work done. I think I’ve found a fairly good balance for myself, however, and I do look at you as something like a rolemodel, someone who is doing it right. Because while it’s important to address the issues of sexism and bigotry in the gaming community, it’s also important to remember NOT to let these things prevent you from doing what you love. Do you have any advice for people who are struggling with this right now?

SG: Oh, wow. Thank you for saying that—I feel that way about you too! And, yeah, this is such a hard thing. I’ve always believed in walking my own path, and really ignoring the naysayers. But that’s also really tough on the soul and heart. You have to build fierce armor, in the form of a support system and your own self-confidence. But, honestly, the thing that helps me the most is knowing that someone out there might be looking at me as a role model, and I want to honor that. I want to show that it can be done—you can be your true self and be successful.

Expect respect. Expect that you will succeed. Remember that your time and energy are powerful and finite—choose to spend them only on those who lift you up and light your world. Also, spread joy. Reach out to others. Shine bright enough for yourself and others will see it, and it will grow.

MRM: You do SO much. You write games, and novels, you are present on Twitter, you go to conventions, and even within all of those things, you have various roles (you write in a couple different genres, for instance). How do you plan your days so you get it all done? Do you have any organizational tricks?

SG: Haha! I wish. I do use a bullet journal and Scrivener, and I highly recommend them both for keeping track of ideas, to-do lists, big dreams… anything you want to remember or do someday. I also use Freedom, an app that locks me out of websites (like Facebook!) so that I can get work done.

I think the biggest trick I have is learning what times of day are best for me to do different things. It makes me twice as productive. Mornings—before email, before social media, before the world is awake—are best for poetry and creative work. If I don’t do it then, the day takes over and it won’t happen. I also know that when I feel burnt out on one thing, it’s a good time to switch to something that uses a different part of my brain. So, weirdly, part of my organizational system is to have multiple projects going at a time. If my brain gets tired of writing fiction, I can give it a rest while I tackle some editing or answer some emails.

MRM: Can you describe your writing process for novels a bit?

SG: Only if I can give the caveat that I don’t recommend my process to anyone! I want to be one of those people who sits down, writes an outline, and then makes a book. Instead, I’m a person who has no idea what I’m writing when I sit down. There are a lot of false starts, backtracks, and about 20,000 words of “what am I doing?” before things finally settle in and get moving.

I write a lot by instinct, following the hearts of my characters to try and break them (along with my readers’ hearts too, because I’m evil like that). I tend to putter a lot, writing a bit, and then going back and tweaking, until I get the voice and the language right, then writing a bit more. Really, not recommended! But figuring out your own system is probably the most important (and hardest to learn) part of writing, so once you’ve got that—even if it’s a bad system like mine—you’re most of the way there.

MRM: If a kid came up to you and said, “I want to be just like you when I grow up?” how would you respond? Any words of advice or encouragement?

SG: Go for it! I think one of the worse things we do to young people is to say, “You can’t.” But you can. It’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. Someday I’m going to grow up and be like all of my heroes (and even if I don’t, I’m doing a lot of things I love on the way to getting there). So, yeah. Try it. Don’t give up. And it’s okay if you’re afraid—we’re all afraid. Do it anyway.

MRM: When YOU were a kid, what did you want to be? How did it change as you grew up, and how did you wind up where you are today?

SG: I wanted to be a writer since I was old enough to read. I won my first poetry contest when I was about 7, by writing a poem about ICEEs—I got a coupon for a free ICEE and I was pretty sure I’d really made it as a writer! But then I got a little older, and realized how hard writing was, and I became afraid. All I ever wanted to be was a writer, and what if I failed at the one thing I wanted? So I did a bunch of other things—I worked on an ambulance and fire crew, got a degree in TV/Radio and another in psychology, did a lot of other jobs. I spent so much time running away from my dream out of fear.

At some point, I realized that I was more afraid of not trying than I was of failing. And that changed everything for me. I started following my dream again, telling myself that I was fearless (even when I wasn’t) and refusing to give up. It was hard at first—a lot of rejections, a lot of people telling me to give up. But I’m the kind of person that really rebels against NO, so in some ways that really pushed me forward. And I’ve had the support of so many people—I wouldn’t be where I am without their kindness and encouragement.

Shanna Germain has worked as a writer and editor for nearly 25 years, and has eight books, hundreds of short stories, and myriad other works to her name. Over the years, she’s won numerous awards for her work, including multiple ENnies, the C. Hamilton Bailey Poetry Fellowship, and the Utne Reader award for Best New Publication.

The co-owner and managing editor of Monte Cook Games, Shanna’s recent works include No Thank You, Evil!, Predation, As Kinky as You Wanna Be, The Lure of Dangerous Women, and The Poison Eater.

Melanie R. Meadors is the author of fantasy stories where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She’s been known to befriend wandering garden gnomes, do battle with metal-eating squirrels, and has been called a superhero on more than one occasion. Her fiction has appeared in Circle Magazine, Prick of the Spindle, and in the anthologyChampions of Aetaltis. She's the co-editor of the anthology MECH: Age of Steel and editor of Hath No Fury, and she is a blogger and general b*tch monkey at The Once and Future Podcast.

I picked up Rock Paper Wizard from the local gaming/comics store on Free Comic Book Day (the day when every year, I end up buying more games than comics). It was the last copy left in the store, the clerk had just said, "This game is supposed to be a lot of fun, but every time I go to buy it, someone grabs the last copy."

Well, he shouldn't have told me it was fun, then!

The concept of Rock Paper Wizard is fairly simple. Three to six players are wizards who have just cooperated to defeat a dragon. Now it's time to get the gold! The dragon's lair, however, is still coursing with ancient and wild magic, and the wizards all find themselves in the clutches of vicious greed. So, they start cursing each other in their attempts to get the most gold.

The set up was straight forward, and it took about five to ten minutes to learn how to play. The game is, as the name suggests, a version of the classic Rock Paper Scissors, but a bit more complex, because there is a deck of cards with different hand symbols that are, in fact different spells to cast on your opponents. There are three categories of spells, and each spell does something different. Some take gold from an opponent, some move them around the game board, either closer or further from the treasure. The game is suggested for players ages 14+, but I think players younger can definitely play with some guidance.

The instruction booklet is very clear with lots of illustrations and diagrams to help. Resolving the spells, that is, making sure the effects of the spells happen in the right order to the right players can be a little tricky (which I think is the reason for it being for 14+--younger players can definitely do it, but I think at least one older person is necessary to help with the logistics), but once you get the hang of it, things move along pretty easily. During my test run there were a couple magical entanglements, but nothing that couldn't be figured out. Something that might be helpful is having a pad of paper nearby to take a few notes in order to keep things straight.

I found the game to be fun and funny. Players can definitely get into character and be a bit dramatic with their spell casting. As I said, the mechanics are easy to master, and the game is fairly short, around 20-30 minutes to play on average. The artwork is great, the pieces are made of sturdy cardboard, and the gameplay is very engaging. I think it's safe to say that WizKids has a winner here for great gaming with family and friends!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Richard Lyke is a single father of two who has been gaming all of his life. Recently, his daughter developed an interest in gaming as well, but Richard saw that not every gaming store was as accepting of kids--especially little girls. He decided that a shop that celebrated tolerance, inclusion, respect, and education was imperative, especially in a place where minorities and people with disabilities were having a hard time finding places that valued diversity. He is taking it upon himself to open such a store in the Knocksville, Tennessee area.

I thought this sounded like a great idea, albeit a challenging one, so I caught up with Richard to find out more about his vision for this gaming store.

Hi Richard! Tell us a bit about your project, and what inspired you to start it.

Many years ago I was just a fan, comic collector, strategy gamer, RPG gamer and finally a Magic player. These were the hobbies that filled my youth and teen years in between devouring every SF/F book I could lay my hand on. I came from a family used to providing for themselves. I grew up helping my Grandfather grow our winter food in a 3 acre garden. He was always out of the workforce due to an industrial accident where both his hips were shattered and replaced. Then as a teen helping my grandparents working the ceramic shop my grandmother took from a hoppy in the dining room to the largest shop with classes in 3 counties. They taught me my work ethic and how to never give up and to do what is best for your family. I never thought as a teen about turning my hobby passions into a business. Then in 1992 as I was reaching the end of my time in the military a friend of mine suggested we open a comic/gaming store together. Unfortunately after 18 months he left for overseas duty so we closed the business, but I now had the urge. From then until now I have desired to turn my passions into a business the serves the community as well as being successful. I have taken almost 15 years off and worked in the corporate world due to the needs of my family. And it is the needs of my family that bring me full circle back to a passion that is able to give back to and support the fandom community that I have loved for 40 years. I wouldn’t call this a start, but more the continuation of a journey.

Many communities have gaming stores. Why should they support yours, even if they aren’t in the community it’s located in?

I feel that we as a gaming community have lost something over the decades I have been involved in the community. As a teen being a nerd was something that made you an outcast. Playing AD&D was something that labelled you as a Satanist, reading comics and science fiction meant you probably had no social life and those like us needed to stick together to avoid bullying and derision. The one thing we all shared was a chivalric ideal and a love of knowledge. I believe the type of game store that is a hub for the community to gather is essential for the growth of our hobbies and interests. In my view a game store should be a pub without the alcohol. A place that if you want to discuss the latest comic plotlines, the newest anime, get help with plot for your gaming world or cosplay/fandom meet-ups, that you can hang out there and others in the community are always happy to help. Over the years at my locations I had the opportunity to help youth that had no male figure with things they were unable to take to their mother. Able to teach them knightly virtues and call them on inappropriate behavior. Others in the store also took on this role and helped guide them in a positive way. The advent of professional Magic: The Gathering play aspirations introduced a highly competitive atmosphere that undermined all that and changed the gaming world immensely. In these times we NEED that place that is not just there to foster competition but to also foster comradery and willingness to see beyond the end of our collective noses. Beyond the mail order discounts through my website is the connection to building something positive in a world besieged by self-interest. If we fail to nurture and lead the future generations and invite them to feel included then the hobbies we love will eventually fade. I want to rebuild something we’ve lost to create something new for the current generation and create a homecoming for those of us with advanced…. experience.

Richard Lyke's daughter, Ava

What are some special ideas you have for your gaming shop that makes it different from others?

In my area there have been several game stores. Two major chains and several small stores that have come and gone over the years. One of those chains went out of business. Not due to lack of business – they were being very successful – but because the owner had tax related issues and was forced to liquidate. Many of the small stores that have failed have done so because of the large chain that remains. The smaller stores have attempted to depend on one product to carry their business: Magic: The Gathering. This played into the strength of the chain as they are primarily a Magic store but have very deep pockets so whenever the small stores would try to hold a major tournament the larger store would hold a corresponding one that offered 5 times the prizes to suck the air out of the smaller location until they fell. Then went back to business as usual.

The first differentiator is not depending on one product with one night a week with the store having gamers there. The large chain started out as a toy store, then shifted to Beanie Babies when they became popular, then pivoted to discover Magic and Video Games when the Babies lost their appeal. They are not gamers but opportunists and they actively discourage any other gaming besides Magic. While Magic Singles is a strong market it is not the entirety of the genre.

Knoxville hosts an Anime convention annually, but does not have a single store other than Best Buy with an anemic selection that offers any Anime products. I will open the store to the Anime Club for weekly viewing nights and have a projector so the screen will take up an entire wall and provide a small theater quality experience.

Next I will have weekly Board Gaming nights where people can set up and play their favorite board games From Talisman to Risk, and Arkham Horror to Railroad Tycoon. All games will be welcome. Miniature leagues and strategy games like the old Avalon Hill games will be a staple as well. Also my years working the convention circuit have provided contacts at most of the gaming companies that will come to demo new products giving fans a connection to their favorite creators.

Role-playing was where I began my gaming experience and The Pathfinder Society will be at my location, as well as a variety of tabletop RPG’s. Live Action Role Play will be welcomed and venues like Nero and Solar supported. Also the Society for Creative Anachronism and Amtgard will be supported and have a place to meet.

Finally – Fandoms such as Harry Potter, Firefly, Game of Thrones, and any others that want to use the location will be welcomed and supported. Special events, guests, cosplay and other community building will be a mainstay of the Dragon’s Guild.

Prize tournaments, Friday Night Magic, Warhammer 40K Leagues and other competitive environments will also be fostered but in a healthy way that will build up players just beginning and provide challenges for experienced players.

Can you explain why this idea, a place where gamers of all backgrounds can fit in and be comfortable and safe, is so important right now?

Over the last 15 years I’ve lived in Knoxville I have been to almost every game store that has been open. I’ve helped some of them with ideas for displays and other things to try to help them survive. In that time I’ve seen a lot of things happen that I would consider inappropriate, but they are overlooked because the perpetrators are high dollar customers – and they use that to their advantage. I want my store to be a place where it is safe for all players and all players are treated with respect. I have a 9 year old daughter who is the light of my life and she is growing to be an intelligent, opinionated Geek Girl with Nerd tendencies. At the moment there is not a single store in our area I would be comfortable with her attending as a middle teen.

The current selection of stores perpetuate the idea of gaming as a patriarchal event. Women that play are viewed as being there because their boyfriends are. People who are socially challenged – like one excellent player with Aspergers – are excluded or ignored and when they win are the target of derision and bullying. I have seen beginning players verbally harassed by experienced Magic players for playing slow while they think about what they are doing to not make mistakes by experienced players who want them to hurry up so they can get to the money rounds. All of these behaviors are wrong and will not be tolerated in my location for The Dragon’s Guild.

I live in a kinda purple area of a very Red State due to the University of Tennessee but in this environment it is very important to have a store like the one I want to build. I want a location able to teach the young another way besides the Red State attitudes they run into daily. I am building a safe place for women gamers to be empowered and able to feel comfortable and accepted. Stereotypes must be shattered for everyone to be equal.

Have you seen any backlash about your project?

Yes. When I first announced the crowdfunding initiative it was on several Facebook Groups. One of the Magic Groups from Atlanta immediately started with personal attacks about how pathetic it was that I was asking for money to open. That I must be a horrible businessman if I couldn’t go to shows and sell cards to get open. There were attacks about using my daughter as a marketing tool when I answered questions about why I felt the store was needed. And finally why bother with a store that was not in their area. The comradery of gamers supporting gamers was completely gone. The ironic thing is that Magic players are willing to travel several states for prize tournaments, and one of the foundations of the store will be every other month two day magic events with $2500.00 to $5000.00 prizes. It’s a core fundraiser for the store and when I was in Atlanta for a 5K tournament there were people there who travelled from Texas and New York to play – so with Atlanta being only 4 hours drive all of those players will most likely come to play when I am open.

What are some of your favorite games?

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons – I have a 3 year and continuing 1st/2nd edition game I DM.

Warhammer 40K – My Dark Eldar army is a favorite for me and a terror for my opponents. I love the hit and run tactics.

Magic: The Gathering – Although I haven’t played in this standard block I started playing with Beta and have never really stopped. When my son turned 16 we would go play together every Friday Night. I played pro-tour in it’s infancy and almost broke into the top 100 during Necro Summer.

Talisman with all the expansions for board games, and Dominion for a deckbuilder game.

xXxenophile is my favorite out of print game – just because of all the cool artwork and puns.

ANY of the old Avalon Hill board games like Battle of the Bulge, Squad Leader and Flat Top.

I know that gaming with your family is important, but do you manage to find time to game with other adults too? If so, HOW?

I have friends over every other weekend to game. We play the game I DM and I am currently using the city of Ptolis which I placed on my world and tweaked a little to fit. They are really enjoying the city campaign. Working 3rd shift right now seems like 3 days off when I get my weekend so there is plenty of time and we game while my daughter is sleeping so I don’t miss any time with her. My son is 26 and plays in the game as well.

Richard's son, Steven

What’s a great game for someone to start with, who has never played a tabletop game before?

There are so many…it really depends on the genre they want but one I really enjoyed the concept of was Rifts because of the wide variety of settings. I like Rolemaster but most people find it to be too much math – but the crit descriptions are really worth it. The White Wolf line is also a really great system because there are a multitude of character backgrounds you can explore.

I see that anime is going to be a focus in your shop. Can you tell us a bit about that?

When I had my first store – The Camouflage Dragon – a customer approached me about using my store as a place for the people of Chattanooga to meet for viewing their anime collections together. Every week they would bring in a VCR, a DVD player, and a 45” large CRT Television. Then at the end of the night cart it all out again. We ended up with about 40 people who were regularly at the store for viewing. I had very little experience with Anime at that point but they were some of the most loyal customers I have ever met. Their weekly viewing nights kept the store in basic expenses almost by themselves. There were months when rent was paid just from sales of cans of cokes and Little Debbie snacks they purchased. They wanted to meet on nights during the week, but I intend to use Sunday as Anime and Fandom day so instead of just a few hours they will have a whole day for viewing their favorite Anime, Fan Shows and Movies. It is also a shame that Knoxville hosts multiple conventions and events through the year but there is not a single store in the area that supports this thriving community with products or time at their locations. Before I decided to start this process I did ask the major chain that is left about hosting an Anime Club at their locations and they refused because it would never be as profitable as Magic or Console Games.

Why, if you feel certain the business will be successful have you not tried conventional financing like banks or investors? If you have great ideas why turn to strangers?

When I started this process I began with selling cards online. Unfortunately with a huge amount of competition and paying retail to break boxes that the profit margins were too small to make a large impact in the amount I needed. I then went to a bank for a loan and discovered very plainly that banks don’t speak geek. I was told that if I wanted funding for a video game store it would be easier because paper and dice, boardgames, and cardgames are all on the way out due to video and electronic games. The banks all felt there was no upside to a business based on service, tournaments, and community that video gamers don’t want a community store they want to buy then play at home alone.

Then I found two investors – sequentially not simultaneously – who were willing to completely finance the store for a percentage of the business. Unfortunately the first one was flipping homes and went upside down on a home he couldn’t move so backed out. The second possible investor was completely on board – then weeks before we planned to open and were ready to sign a lease the presidential election happened. Not being happy with the results and the challenges a progressive store could face in a very red state he decided – and I quote – “I think my money would better place right now going into hard metals and a fallout bunker.” There were other possible investors but they wanted creative control and to dictate changes – like removing the Anime Club: they thought it was a non-starter, also doing away with Boardgame tables as a waste of space when Magic Tables could be put in instead. They were very conventional business and not community oriented at all. Thus I turned to crowdfunding.

The beauty of crowdfunding is that no one needs to go broke trying to support a goal. What I’m looking for is 5000 people who believe in community and that gamers can build a better more tolerant world to donate $25.00 each. Or maybe 10,000 to donate $10.00 each. For less than the cost of a game night pizza a dream can be made real….AND you can get a discount on mail orders for a prolonged period of time. Especially if we exceed our goal. For gaming groups wanting to pool their donation to get a bigger discount for a longer period of time this is an ideal opportunity to be able to purchase the games they love at a rate that will be reduced for them.

The goal is to find those who believe in community. People who want chivalry and fair play to be taught to the next generation. People concerned about how their daughters, sisters, gender altering friends, disabled friends, and anyone who bears the stigma of being a Nerd or a Geek are treated and wanting them to have a community to support them. In these times that support matter. The Dragons Guild is made up of Gamers who love gamers and we want to invite you to be a part of that community no matter where you are.

If someone wants to contact you to talk about helping you fund your shop, or with suggestions, perhaps, where can they do that? Is there a website for people to learn more?

I’m always willing to talk about my business plans and ideas. People who are interested can e-mail me at dragons.guild.games@gmail.com . Also my views on a store and other things fandom related are available at my blog https://dragonsguild.wordpress.com/ . It has been inactive due to the rough social climate at the end of the year but I’ll give expansive answers to any related questions.

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She is a blogger at The Once and Future Podcast, a professional author publicist, and a dabbling fiber artist. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Last year, game designer Shanna Germain and Monte Cook Games introduced the world to a revolution in role playing game that would allow the entire family to join in the fun, with No Thank You, Evil!It was a fun way to introduce kids as young as five to the concepts of role playing games without the complex rules that would so often discourage younger people from playing. Plus, it was also a great way to introduce grown-ups to RPGing as well! No Thank You, Evil! is now available on Amazon and other game retailers. It's fun, and can be as simple or involved as players want to make it. And it has awesome artwork.

Now, there is a Kickstarter for even MORE adventures with No Thank You, Evil!, with two new expansion sets! Uh-Oh, Monsters! is an adventure pack that has everything players need to play new adventures with the original game, including a creature book, a deck with 30 new creature cards that match the style of the original game, three new adventures, and some creature stand-ups.

Story, Please! is an adventure building deck, and I received a prototype from Monte Cook Games to preview. This is what has me REALLY excited about this Kickstarter. Story, Please! is a deck of one hundred cards designed so that you can build your own story for your role playing adventure. There are so many possibilities that players could get YEARS of enjoyment from this.

The game play is really simple and straight-forward, which leaves players free to enjoy their game instead of constantly having to check the rules, which can be really frustrating for kids (and for adult newbies!). The idea is to simply draw a story card with some places and people cards to outline the quest for gamers. Then you can draw a twist card to throw a wrench into questers' plans, and then some awesome "stuff" to keep things interesting.

Parents who have never played an RPG will have no problem learning how to play and teaching their kids. I know that a lot of adults feel discouraged when they want to try playing Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder because it seems like there is so much to learn and they can feel nervous about joining a gaming group completely green. No Thank You, Evil! is a great way adults new to role playing games can wet their feet and get used to the game dynamics.

The artwork of the NTYE series is very appealing. It's cute and colorful, and would appeal to both boys AND girls. The design of the cards is perfect for use with kids and beginners. The text is very clear and concise. The cards don't look cluttered at all.

Over all, these expansions are definitely worth backing the Kickstarter for. There is a backer level available for people new to No Thank You, Evil! as well.

I can't recommend this game enough, really. Families will find hours upon hours of entertainment in this game, and even adults will find it to be fun for game night. It's truly a game for all ages. The Kickstarter only has a few days left though, so hurry up and back it! I promise you won't be sorry. Monte Cook Games has an excellent track record for delivering their games in a timely manner, and the quality of the materials is second to none. This game will help your kids gain confidence with gaming and will get their creative juices flowing. So don't wait!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author and editor of science fiction and fantasy, blogger at The Once and Future Podcast, and a professional author publicist. She studied physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University, where no day was complete without a heated debate over relativity versus quantum mechanics. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

We have a gaming focus on the Once and Future Podcast this week! What could supplement podcast guest Marc Tassin's game of the World of Aetaltis better than a cool set of dice? You might have seen PolyHero Dice on Kickstarter. Their Warrior Set and more recently, their Wizard Set, have been getting a lot of attention. Not only do they have unique shapes, but they come in gorgeous colors as well. I heard many a gamer say, "Oooh, pretty, I'd love to add that to my collection!"

But how do these dice measure up as far as actual gaming goes? Are they are good as regular polyhedral dice?

When I got my set of PolyHero Warrior Dice, I took them out to give them a roll. Immediately I eyed the d20. It had such a strange shape, I had my doubts as far as rollability. So I gave it a roll.

Yep. That's good enough for me! After rolling it several more times, I found that yes, indeed, it did give random results, landing on both sides.

All of the dice, in fact, passed the random roll test. While they didn't have the same heft as other polyhedral dice, I think that would have been a hindrance to these, with their unique shapes. They actually need to be light enough to roll, and I think their mission is accomplished.

Now, you'll notice I said there was a Warrior set of dice and a Wizard set. Is there a difference? Yes. They have different shapes, in order to capture the aesthetic and inventory items of the different classes. They also come in different colors.

PolyHero also has a game you can play with a friend using your unique dice called Knight Fight. In this game, you use your dice as weapons, and go head to head with other knights. You'll need two sets of dice, but any polyhedral dice could be used.

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

I have a set of Crimson PolyHero Warrior Dice and a set of the Knight Fight cards to giveaway to a lucky fan of the Once and Future Podcast!!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of science fiction and fantasy, blogger at The Once and Future Podcast, and a professional author publicist. She is also the editor ofHath No Fury, an anthology currently on Kickstarter. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Backers of Travis Hanson'sKickstarter for his new game, No Mercy, were in for a treat a couple weeks ago! The game shipped to the campaign's supporters, and I like to imagine there are now covert battles between kitties and aliens going on everywhere!

If you've played the simple card game War, then you are well on your way to understanding the dynamics of No Mercy. At its simplest, the game consists of two players (there are rules for more players as well), one being the aliens and one being the cats. Players go head to head, drawing a card from their deck, and whoever has the highest number on those cards adds both cards to their deck. Easy, right? Well, in No Mercy, there is a twist. There are modifier cards.

Whoever draws the lowest scoring card has the option of drawing a modifier card to shake things up a bit. There's a risk involved, though. Sometimes the cards add points, but sometimes they subtract. There is a card to swap decks with your opponent, so if you are winning, you might have to give your opponent your fat deck while receiving their thin one.

And then, of course, if you draw a card equal to your opponent's, you have war. This can be a way to gather up several cards at once, but again, the results can be unpredictable with the modifiers. My son and I had a double war, and at the end, I had the highest value card. Then, he drew the "Ceasefire" card which meant he got all the attack cards in play. I believe it added up to be fourteen cards in all!

The artwork on these cards is adorable. The cats and aliens all have personalities, and they are very colorfully rendered. Their names are amusing as well (Claudius von Flufferpants is my personal favorite!). The cards themselves are high quality, like anything you'd expect to find at the game store, and its packaged nicely as well. The instructions are written quite clearly.

All in all, I think this is a great game to play with your friends or with your kids. It's fun and light, can be competitive, and with the modifier cards, is definitely not boring. The playtime on the box says 30 minutes, but I have found it to be closer to an hour the few times I've played so far, with both two and three players. But even if you have a short time, you can always just count the cards to see who has the most to call a winner. I think this is the kind of game that would be great to play while waiting for food at Denny's.

My son has asked to play this game every day since we first got it--he thinks it's a lot of fun to trip things up with the modifiers. The age range is 7 and up, but with some reading help, I think a younger kid would enjoy this a lot as well.

The retail edition of the game is coming very soon, but if you can't wait? Travis has the game on Backerkit so you can order it right now! And also check out the other marvelous things he has for sale, both there and on his website. His comic Bean is also a delight, and I can't wait to see So You Want to Buy a Robot Dino?! Travis Hanson's artwork never fails to bring a smile to my face.

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Melanie R. Meadors is the author of fantasy and science fiction stories where heroes don’t always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She’s been known to befriend wandering garden gnomes, do battle with metal-eating squirrels, and has been called a superhero on more than one occasion. Her work has been published in several magazines, and she was a finalist in the 2014 Jim Baen Memorial Science Fiction Contest. Melanie is also a freelance author publicist and publicity/marketing coordinator for both Ragnarok Publications and Mechanical Muse, an independent gaming company. She blogs regularly for GeekMom and The Once and Future Podcast. Her short story “A Whole-Hearted Halfling” is in the anthology Champions of Aetaltis, available now on Amazon. She is the co-editor of Hath No Fury, an anthology celebrating women in speculative fiction, which is currently on Kickstarter and includes stories from Seanan McGuire, Carol Berg, Elaine Cunningham, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Philippa Ballantine, Anton Strout, and more. Follow Melanie on Facebook and on Twitter as @MelanieRMeadors.

I don’t know about you guys, but after a hard day at work, sometimes there’s nothing like relaxing in front of the game console. Whether it’s beating up bad guys, racing against the clock, or solving puzzles to save the day, video games have provided millions with hours upon hours of mindless entertainment.

But what if games really weren’t mindless, brain-numbing, or intellect-killing?

In the 1990s, a congressional hearing took place, resulting in the stigma that video games are “bad.” It was said that when children played video games like Mortal Kombat, their cognitive, social, and behavioral skills were all impacted negatively. Children who played violent video games would grow up to be violent themselves, the hearing concluded. There have also been studies done that say video games cause ADHD, antisocial behavior, and a whole slue of other diagnoses.

There are some scientists out there now, however, who disagree with this dire prognosis of gamers.

Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green are both psychologists who have been studying the effects of video games for years. Their interest is in a field of study called “neuroplasticity,” or how the brain adapts itself to new situations. Their interest in video games started when Green, an 18 year old undergrad lab assistant at the time, designed a test to see how well a person could pick out a certain shape in a busy scene. He thought there was a bug in his code, because he scored much higher than he thought he should when he did a self-test. He went on to test his friends, and they scored much higher than average as well. But when he went on to test other people, they scored more closely to the average range. What was the difference?

Green and his friends were all avid video gamers.

This finding spurred Green and then adviser, Bavelier, to look further into the phenomenon. After many years of research, their findings are quite fascinating.

According to their research, gaming can increase a wide variety of cognitive skills, not just picking out shapes in scenes, but focusing on visual details, being more sensitive to visual contrast, and have a better sense of spacial reasoning. Reaction times, they found, are better among gamers, and hand-eye coordination is better, providing for faster, more accurate results than with non-gamers. Players are also able to switch more easily between detail-oriented focused to general environment focused attention. They are more persistent, have better problem solving skills, and can switch from one task to another with more ease. Players who were involved with more social, cooperative games proved to be more cooperative with their peers outside of the gaming world as well.

Green and Bavelier’s research shouldn’t just be used as validation for gamers' good times, however. They are now looking into the infinite possibilities this might hold for people with different disabilities and brain injuries. People with attention issues, autism, dyslexia, and more have all benefited in ways from playing games, and now with this research, people can develop games specifically to address these problems.

Are games always the answer? No, of course not. There are still questions about the addictive behaviors some games can trigger, and the question about violent behavior is still up in the air. But gamers over the few couple decades can attest that games have improved their lives in many different ways, as many ways as there are people. From stress relief to the social aspects of the games, whether it’s the Lego games or Portal, Destiny or Super Mario Brothers, people have been turning to games for fun and relaxation for many years now. It’s nice to see that these games can also be appreciated for their truly beneficial aspects as well.

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Melanie R. Meadors is the author of fantasy and science fiction stories where heroes don’t always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She’s been known to befriend wandering garden gnomes, do battle with metal-eating squirrels, and has been called a superhero on more than one occasion. Her work has been published in several magazines, and she was a finalist in the 2014 Jim Baen Memorial Science Fiction Contest. Melanie is also a freelance author publicist and publicity/marketing coordinator for both Ragnarok Publications and Mechanical Muse, an independent gaming company. She blogs regularly for GeekMom and The Once and Future Podcast. Her short story “A Whole-Hearted Halfling” is in the anthology Champions of Aetaltis, available now on Amazon. Follow Melanie on Facebook and on Twitter as @MelanieRMeadors.

I remember when I was a kid, and some of my friends started playing Dungeons and Dragons. We played without a care in the world (except when that effing TSUNAMI of kobolds came flooding from an unwisely opened gate...We cared then. Oh yes, we cared. And we remembered...). Where was I? Oh yes. We played at my friend's house during the summer. Then we went back to school and we just had the game on our minds. We talked about it at lunch, and at recess we tried to do quick mini adventures or we would create new characters. The group of us were misfits to begin with, and this provided us with a framework to be social. It was great.

Then one day, another kid came over and asked us what we were doing. We told him, not thinking anything of it. It was a game. It was like telling stories, but better because you did it with friends. We taught him how to make a character, told him all about the game...and then the next day we got called to the principal's office. Turns out, that kid's mom had heard about this evil game called Dungeons and Dragons, and we were busted. No more satanic games on the playground, thank you very much. No matter how we tried to explain it, the answer was, "Nope."

So, we returned to our separate lives on the playground. Me reading alone and mumbling answers to teachers' questions. Another kid getting the crap beat out of him by bullies, and two others sneaking off to smoke under the bleaches. You know, nice, social, healthy activities instead of gaming.

There's been a news story making its way around social media about a certain prison that continually renews its ban on Dungeons and Dragons since 2004, when a certain inmate's materials were confiscated because of concerns that D&D would lead to increased gang behavior in the prison. Not satanism in this case, but some sense of danger, conspiracy, blood.

Now, there have been many articles talking about the case in particular, the whys and hows and whos. You can Google it if you want to know more (I could go on about the political side of this whole thing, but I won't). But I would like to make the case for Dungeons and Dragons being a rehabilitative tool (and yes, there are the arguments about our prison system being a punitive system versus a rehabilitative system, etc) not only in prisons, but in school, group home settings, group therapy, marriage counseling, alcoholics anonymous, and many other situations where people need healing.

1. It's social. You have to have a group to have a really fun game. You could potentially have a game with 3 people, but 5 is more fun. And when you have a group, interesting things happen. You see sides of people you didn't know existed. You discover sides to yourself you didn't know existed. I've known these supremely shy people who come out of their shells when they play. I know people who seem really anti-social who become team players. I know people who seemed kind of dim who actually proved themselves to be master strategists, all in a group setting. When people are in a group, they learn how to watch out for others, how to function as a group, and on a larger scale, how to function in society. It can be a fantastic tool, especially if a therapist is encouraged to either play or be game master (but NOT do the therapy stuff during the game--keep that for the couch) or observe. D&D brings things out of people, and makes it possible to identify both problems and strengths. I believe a program could be developed quite easily to successfully help people with a wide range of issues by creating a safe environment for them to interact with others in a role playing environment. After all--so much of psychotherapy involves role playing to begin with. This goes one step further, creating avatars for issues, and quite often because they are facing a dragon instead of a bully on the playground, or addiction, or abuse, people are more apt to open up about how they feel and are more likely to come up with coping mechanisms on their own or come to terms with things that happened in their past.

2. It raises self confidence and self esteem. How often in life do we get the opportunity to do something truly great? Not that often, and sometimes even when we get the chance, we freeze and don't know what to do with it. So often people think, oh, it doesn't matter anyway. Nothing I do makes a difference. In a role playing game, everything makes a difference. Killing dragons is HARD. Not only do you need enough experience, but you have to have the right combination of attributes and luck. You partners need to work together, and you all rely on each other. When my son killed his first giant spider after trying and dying and trying again, I was genuinely awed by his sense of accomplishment. He felt REALLY good about himself. And no, the game is not real. I don't know a single person who plays who thinks it's real. But that sense of accomplishment IS real. And it will spill over into other areas of life.

3. It provides an escape. This one gets frowned upon a lot, but seriously? Escape is important. Why do many alcoholics drink? Why do bullies feel the need to fight kids on the playground? Because they have to let these feelings they have out in some way OR drown them so they can forget about them to survive. As any addict knows, addiction feeds a person. It fills the emptiness inside. When you game, either online or in person, it's fulfilling in that when you're an elf paladin, it doesn't matter if your boss yelled at you today or you had toilet paper trailing from your pants. You can escape being in foster care or in an abusive home for a couple hours. I'm not saying escape in a totally unhealthy way and lose grip on reality. I'm saying SURVIVE. People often forget or just don't realize how damned hard it can be to be a teenager, especially a troubled one. In a group home or after school program, gaming can provide an escape while at the same time bringing out the best in someone. Escape into a game to remind you that you are a good, worthwhile person. In prison, thoughts of escape aren't encouraged, but if the prisoners don't feel they have anything to live for, THAT'S when violence breaks out. Because why the hell not? What do they have to lose? But in a monitored setting, escaping to a world where you are vital to the society there can give a prisoner a sense of purpose. And yes, I have worked with prisoners before, and if you think they don't create other, less healthy means of escape, you are much mistaken. At least this, again, is social and could be therapeutic if handled properly.

4. It empowers those who feel weak. Why do bullies beat people up? Why do people tear others down? Why is social media full of judging and trolls and mansplaining? Because those people feel weak. They need some way to make themselves feel powerful. When you are playing an RPG, however, you discover the best of yourself. We can't bargain with a goblin king in real life, but we can in the game. And sometimes, our brain draws conclusions. "Oh...me trying to persuade the Goblin King to part with the magic key is sort of like me trying to get my boss to give me a raise. Maybe I CAN do this..." What if teachers ran a D&D campaign during detention instead of making the kids just stare at walls or draw on the desks? Give the kids something to focus on. Yes, they should be focused on their schoolwork, but there is more to life than school. By running a game, not only does the teacher provide them with an outlet for their aggression and feelings, but he or she can establish trust with those kids and be someone the kids can turn to when things go bad. When someone accomplishes a quest, they feel good about themselves, empowered. This encourages them to do more things in their real lives. They feel like they can make a difference, and even better that they can make a difference with other people instead of against them.

5. It encourages innovation, problem solving, team building, and thinking outside the box. In business, people are encouraged to think outside the box, to become good strategists, and work as a team. Role playing games can provide excellent practice for this. Sometimes you can't face a dragon head on. You might not have the strength or experience. But you can cooperate with a team, using the entire team's set of strengths to defeat the monster. Kids can learn how to deal with obstacles. Adults can learn to look at problems differently and from different points of view. Prisoners can learn to get along with each other, and can also build skills for when they get out of prison, for those who are able.

6. It helps to create feelings of empathy. When you role play, you have to step into someone else's shoes. You have to see the world as they see it. I have worked with my autistic son in this way, and have made progress with him as far as empathy. "YOU wouldn't do that thing, but what would a chaotic evil elf mage do? What would a lawful good paladin do?" Again, this can be a great method for therapy for kids and adults. Inmates are often deemed unfit for society. Why not let them practice being in a society when they don't have to be their stigmatized self? They could choose to be a lawful good person and save the day. Or, they could choose to be evil and face punishments within the game because of choices they made, and because it's a different context, they can see it differently, and their minds can process it differently.

Games are fun, but they can also be incredibly effective tools if looked at with an open mind. Instead of being judgemental about them, do some research and learn what the games are about. Look at the progress some people have made, by themselves, just by playing games. People have beaten addiction, overcome crippling social anxiety, and have rescued their marriages, all through gaming. Of course, like with anything, it can be used in the wrong way, and while I don't know any cases personally, I'm sure someone somewhere can point something out. But I will argue that for most cases, it is not an escape from reality--it's a method of giving people the tools to face it.

Melanie R. Meadors is the author of fantasy and science fiction stories where heroes don’t always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She’s been known to befriend wandering garden gnomes, do battle with metal-eating squirrels, and has been called a superhero on more than one occasion. Her work has been published in several magazines, and she was a finalist in the 2014 Jim Baen Memorial Science Fiction Contest. Melanie is also a freelance author publicist and publicity/marketing coordinator for both Ragnarok Publications and Mechanical Muse, an independent gaming company. She blogs regularly for GeekMom and The Once and Future Podcast. Her short story “A Whole-Hearted Halfling” is in the anthology Champions of Aetaltis, available now on Amazon. Follow Melanie on Facebook and on Twitter as @MelanieRMeadors.